The House Elf Quidditch League
by RavenSeekerCho
Summary: Winky as Beater, Dobby as Seeker. A special guest from another country. Find out with a cela-trams is. Tons of house-elves and tons of Quidditch. The house-elves against Slytherin. Sequel to my fic "House-elves on Broomsticks."PLEASE read and review.
1. Hermione's Idea

The House Elf Quidditch League  
Author's Note: As it says in my summary, this is a companion fic to my story House-elves on Broomsticks, so, if you have some extra time on your hands, go ahead and read that. You don't have to, but the story will make a lot more sense if you do. Oh, and most of these characters are the property of J.K.Rowling, but a lot of the house-elves are my own invention. Oh, and any similarity to any characters or plot in any story except House-elves on Broomsticks in not intentional, I just probably didn't read those yet. Oh, and this is a companion, not a chapter, so don't take it off! (wow, I say oh too much) Enjoy, and PLEASE review!  
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Chapter One - Hermione's Idea  
Harry stretched and yawned as he made his way upstairs to the Gryffindor common room. He paused in front of the Fat Lady, and gave the password, chocolate covered skrewts. He then walked into the room, expecting to do some studying before he turned in for the night. However, as soon as walked in, Hermione ran up to him.  
  
"Harry!" she exclaimed. "I've been waiting for you for an hour! Where have you been??"  
  
"Sorry, Hermione, I was at Quidditch practice. You know how the finals-"  
  
"Well, never mind that. I was at the library with Ron all day today, researching, and guess what we found out?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know, what did you find out?" Harry asked sleepily.  
  
"We found out that in some parts of the country, there are actually Quidditch leagues with goblins playing on them instead of wizards and witches!"  
  
Harry stared at her blankly. "Oh. That's very interesting. Do you want to help me study for Potions?"  
  
"Oh, Harry, that's not all! There are hundreds of amateur Quidditch leagues for all sorts of creatures! Do you realize what this means?" she asked anxiously.  
  
"No, sorry, I don't. I'm just thinking about how I have to make sure my antidote works for when Snape poisons-"  
  
"Harry!" Hermione interrupted. "Please, just listen to me! You remember the Quidditch game yesterday, right?"  
  
"Of course I do. First time in Hogwarts history a house-elf flew...not to mention caught the Snitch..." Harry remembered.  
  
"Well, now put that together with what I already told you," Hermione ordered.  
  
"Umm...house-elves play Quidditch some places too?" Harry guessed.  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well, yes, but only in their masters'...I mean owners'..." Hermione paused to think about a word that wouldn't be offensive. "Their companions' backyards on breaks...and that's usually only the children. All the adults are too busy or scared to play."  
  
"Oh. So I was right?"  
  
"Well, sort of, but that's not what I wanted you to guess. Ron and I..well, really just I had the idea that we should start..." she paused dramatically. "The House Elf Quidditch League!!!"  
  
Harry looked unimpressed. "HEQL? That's almost as bad as SPEW. And I bet just as few people will join."  
  
Hermione looked very upset. "Well, thank you for the encouragement, Harry."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, I just am kind of anxious about this test tomorrow. It's making me nervous," Harry explained.  
  
"Well, I'll let it go, if you agree to help coach one of the teams," Hermione offered.  
  
"Me? Coach?" Harry was bewildered. "Oh, come on, Hermione. I'm way too busy as it is, with all these tests and Quidditch practices...and besides, the only position I really know how to play is Seeker."  
  
Hermione smiled. "Yes, I know that, Harry. That's why I only suggested that you HELP coach a team. I already spoke to Dumbledore yesterday, and he said that if I can get enough of the kitchen staff to join, he'll let me do it! I'm supposed to go recruit players tomorrow after classes end."  
  
"Well, Hermione..." Harry paused. "Well, are you sure you'll be able to get enough players? I mean, house-elves love to work..I know you'll be able to get Dobby on a team, but you know how the rest of them are...And what about brooms?"  
  
"Well, just so you know, there are dozens of house-elves who played when they were younger, and we would arrange a practice schedule that would always leave more than enough staff in the kitchen." Hermione said matter-of-factly. "I just know I'll be able to get enough for at least 2 teams. I mean, that's not that many... That would be... 2 Seekers...umm...2 beaters..."  
  
"2 Seekers, 4 Beaters, 6 Chasers, and 2 Keepers." Harry interrupted. "That's-"  
  
"Okay, so 14 players. For two teams. Come on, there are more than 100 elves working here!! I'm sure I can convince at least that many to play," Hermione exclaimed enthusiastically. "And if I get at least 7 more, I'll have enough teams to organize a real league!"  
  
"Well, I guess that's true," Harry agreed uncertainly.  
  
"So, I need your help. Will you help Ron and I recruit players tomorrow? And help coach?" Hermione pleaded.  
  
"Oh, fine," Harry relented. "I'll help recruit, but I'll only help coach if you get enough people..err, elves. And if you do that, I'll try to get some other Quidditch players to help out with coaching."  
  
"Thank you so much!" Hermione gave Harry a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"Err, well, you're welcome." Harry tried to keep himself from blushing. Come on, Harry, he thought to himself. You're even blushing when Hermione, one of your best friends, kisses you?? "Herm, I really need to study before I fall asleep...oh, wait!" he said. "You never answered my question about the brooms!"  
  
"Oh, that's right," Hermione replied. "I knew there was something I forgot. Well, it turns out that there's actually a company which specializes in brooms for creatures other than wizards. It's called Creature Sweepers, and they custom-design brooms for anything that has a sponsored team."  
  
"Wait a second, a sponsored team? Who are we going to get to sponsor a bunch of house-elves??"  
  
Hermione grinned secretly. "Don't worry, I have that taken care of...Until we get the brooms, we can practice on Cleansweeps, that's what Ron said Dobby used. It might take a while, though. There's a lot of forms I'd need to fill out. You see, Creature Sweepers takes tons of safety precautions to make sure that their brooms are only used for Quidditch, and not travel." She looked out the window at the coal black sky. "Well, Harry, you'd better start studying. It's getting late."  
  
"Okay. Good night, Herm."  
  
"Night, Harry."  
  
Harry walked over and sat on the couch with his books, getting ready for a couple hours of cramming for tomorrow's test. However, he had barely begun when Ron sat down next to him.  
  
"Hey, Harry."  
  
"Oh, hey, Ron," Harry said without looking up. "This test tomorrow's going to be really hard. Do you know how to make a proper Tentacle-Sprouting potion?"  
  
"No, sorry. Why don't you go ask Hermione?" Ron asked coolly.  
  
Now Harry looked up. Ron's voice did not sound normal. "Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Oh, come on, Harry," Ron answered harshly. "I was coming down to say hello to you, and I saw her kiss you!"  
  
Harry stared at his friend for a moment, not sure whether to laugh or defend himself. "Oh, Ron, don't be stupid," he said carefully. "She kissed me on the cheek because I agreed to help with the House Elf Quidditch thingie."  
  
Ron paused, and began to blush. "Oh, of course. I knew that, I was just testing you."  
  
Harry decided to drop it. "Well, since you don't know how to make any of these potions, either, you wanna study with me?"  
  
Ron smiled, grateful that Harry didn't question him further. "Sure. You know, you better learn the antidote for that tentacle thing, too. Snape and Malfoy would both love to see you like that."  
  
Harry agreed, and they both studied for about an hour before they stumbled off to bed.  
  



	2. Recruits

Chapter Two - Recruits  
  
Right after Potions, Harry, Ron, and Hermione headed for the kitchens.  
  
"Wow, I don't think I've ever had a test that hard in my life," Ron remarked.  
  
"Me either," Harry agreed. "I'm just glad he didn't poison me. I was having enough trouble trying to remember which antidote went with which potion."  
  
Hermione gasped. "Harry, good thing he didn't! What if you used the Boils antidote instead? That doesn't mix well with Tentacle related potions."  
  
"Yeah," Ron said seriously. "You end up getting more tentacles, with boils on them!"  
  
They walked for a few minutes, talking about the test, until they finally reached the kitchens.  
  
"Now, Herm," Ron said. "I will not have you mentioning any kind of payment to these elves. If they agree to play at all, payment will scare them off."  
  
Hermione sighed. "All right, I won't."  
  
"Good girl." Ron smiled at her, and they opened the doors into the kitchen.  
  
"Harry Potter sir! Harry Potter sir!" a little voice squeaked immediately. At the entrance of the three students, dozens of house-elves ran up and began bowing and offering food. Dobby, Harry's old "friend," pushed his way up to the front.  
  
"Hello, Harry Potter sir!" he squeaked. "Dobby is very happy! Miss Hermione came and talked to Dobby yesterday! Miss Hermione says she wants Dobby to play Quidditch!"  
  
Harry smiled, and struggled to keep himself from laughing out loud. Dobby's newest socks were a bright red one with butterbeers imprinted on it, and a purple one with gold Galleons.  
  
"That's right, Dobby," Hermione smiled. "Now, I need your help. Can you go to the other room and tell all the house-elves to come in here for a second?"  
  
Dobby nodded his large head and hurried out of the room.  
  
"So, Herm, what are you going to say to convince them to join the team?" Harry asked curiously.  
  
"Oh, I planned a whole speech out last night about how everyone deserves a break now and then, and how there will only be a few short practices a week, and stuff like that." Hermione said. "You guys will have to help me if no one seems interested, though."  
  
The boys both agreed, and Dobby came back with a few dozen house-elves. "Miss Hermione!" he called. "Dobby has gotten all of the staff!"  
  
Hermione stood up on a stool pushed over by a half-dozen elves, and Ron offered his hand for balance. She cleared her throat. "As I'm sure most of you have heard, your friend Dobby helped the Gryffindor Quidditch team win their game yesterday," she began. The humongous kitchen suddenly erupted with the elves' applause. Dobby bowed, grinning widely. "Now, I'm sure that while not many of you have played Quidditch, you-"  
  
"Oh, Miss Hermione!" a small voice interrupted. A small female elf stepped forward, smiling shyly. "My name is Clunky," she said, bowing. Harry elbowed Ron in the side to keep him from laughing. "Clunky hopes Miss Hermione will forgive Clunky for interrupting, but what miss says is not true. Almost all of us have played Quidditch, miss. We just is careful not to let great wizards see us. We's very good at keeping secrets."  
  
Hermione looked surprised. "Oh, well, thank you very much, Clunky." Clunky bowed happily and moved back into place. "Well, just how many of you have played before?"  
  
To the students' surprise, three-quarters of the elves timidly raised their hands.  
  
Hermione smiled. "Well, that's good, now I don't have to explain what it is! Now, here's my question - how many of you would like to join the House Elf Quidditch League?"  
  
Dobby immediately raised his hand. "Dobby would very much like playing Quidditch!" he exclaimed.  
  
The other elves looked at each other a little nervously.  
  
Ron was confused. "How come no one else wants to play?" he asked.  
  
Clunky came to the front again. "Well, we is wondering how we can play Quidditch when Mr. Dumbledore needs us to cook?"  
  
"Well, I'm sure that all of you aren't going to want to join, so only a few of you would be missing at a time. Also, practice is only going to be a few days a week, so you'd still be working a lot." Hermione explained.  
  
The elves still looked doubtful, and Hermione looked a little frustrated.  
  
"Guys, come on, all we need is 28 players, so we can start with two teams. That's not that much. Then, after the rest of you see how much fun it is, you can join, and we'll have a real league!" Ron jumped in.  
  
The elves began to look at each other, and a few of them actually began to smile. After a minute, Clunky and about a dozen other elves stepped forward.  
  
"There be just one thing, Miss Hermione," Clunky said. "Will miss tell Mr. Dumbledore that we can get up extra early to be sure all the food is cooked?"  
  
"Oh, Clunky, Dumbledore said that it would be fine to have you guys play Quidditch," Hermione assured her. "You don't have to work any harder."  
  
In the end, Hermione, Ron, and Harry persuaded 27 house-elves to sign up for the league, including Dobby and Clunky.  
  
"Hey, Dobby," Harry called.  
  
"Yes, Harry Potter, sir?" Dobby asked.  
  
"Couldn't you find just one more elf to join? That's all we need, just one more!"  
  
Dobby thought for a few minutes. "Oh, Dobby is knowing just the person!" He scurried away, and came back a few moments later with Winky. "Winky," he asked. "Is you knowing how to play Quidditch?"  
  
Winky looked at him a little dazedly. "Yes," she hiccuped.  
  
"Dobby is sorry, Harry Potter," Dobby whispered. "Winky has been drinking butterbeer again."   
  
"Oh, well, that's okay," Harry whispered back. He looked down at the drunk elf. "So, umm, Winky, what position would you like to play?"  
  
Winky smiled, drooling a little. "Winky would - hiccup! - very much like to be Beater."  
  
"Um, okay, I guess," Harry said. He walked over to Hermione. "Well, now we have all the players we need for two teams! I got Winky to play, she wants to be a Beater."  
  
"Oh, that's great, Harry!' Hermione exclaimed, hugging him. Harry blushed.  
  
"Okay, guys," Hermione said loudly. All the elves quieted down. "I need everyone who signed up today to come to a short meeting tomorrow on the Quidditch field. Is that all right with everyone?" All the elves nodded. "All right, everyone has to come so you can get your positions. I'm not gonna bother you anymore, you can get back to work."  
  
"Umm, Miss Hermione?"  
  
"Yeah, Clunky?"  
  
"Well, Clunky is wanting to know if only Hogwarts elves is being allowed to join the Quidditch League," Clunky asked.  
  
Hermione looked a little puzzled. "Well, all the practices are going to be here, same with the games, so...Well, why do you ask?"  
  
"Clunky's cousin Doodly is coming to Hogwarts to visit Doodly for a few months. Maybe while Doodly is here Doodly can play Quidditch?"  
  
Hermione smiled. "Well, we have all the people we need for teams, but Doodly's welcome to be an alternate."  
  
Clunky smiled, bowed, and ran away.  
  
Hermione, Ron, and Harry left the kitchen.  
  
"No offense to them," Ron began. "But these elves have really weird names. I mean, listen to our players: Dobby, Clunky, Klinky, Clumsy, Scabby, Tolly, Bobbly, Dubbly, Cobbly, Winky...Plus a whole bunch of others."  
  
"Well, I'm sure they think Ron is a very strange name, too," Hermione scolded, but she was smiling a little. "But to tell you the truth, I was half expecting Happy, Sleepy, and Grumpy to show up."  
  
The two boys looked at her, confused.  
  
Hermione shook her head. "Never mind," she muttered. "It's a Muggle thing."  
  
"Well, Herm," Harry sighed. "This is your weirdest idea yet, but it's actually working! I can't believe it..."  
  
"Yeah, me either," Ron said. "I can't wait until tomorrow's meeting, I have to see this: an entire Quidditch field full of houseelves flying around on broomsticks."  
  
"Oh, that reminds me," said Harry. "Did you get that sponsor yet, Herm? We're gonna need those brooms from Creature Sweepers."  
  
"I already told you, Harry, I've got that taken care of," Hermione said, her eyes twinkling mysteriously. "As a matter of fact, if I'm a little late to the practice tomorrow, just show the elves some flying. I'm going to be talking to our sponsor through the fire tomorrow. And make sure you don't come looking for me, either. I don't want you to know who he is yet." With that, Hermione headed for bed.  
  
Herry looked at Ron. "Why do you suppose she's being so secretive?"  
  
Ron shrugged. "I don't know, but I hope we find out soon."  
  
"At least now we know it's a guy." Harry pointed out.  
  
"Well, to tell you the truth, I'm not sure if that's good," Ron said, blushing.  
  
Harry laughed and shook his head, and the two boys went to bed.  



	3. The First Meeting

AN/Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or his friends, but I do own most of the house-elves mentioned as well as the broom company Creature Sweepers

AN/Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or his friends, but I do own most of the house-elves mentioned as well as the broom company Creature Sweepers. Also, I'm sorry this chapter took so long to post, but I got kind of disappointed by the lack of reviews. But it's here now, and I have the entire fic planned out in my head, so PLEASE review!! I really do enjoy reading them so much…lol I'm sorry if this chapter gets a little slow at the end, don't worry, the next chapter's games are going to be very funny. Just review and I'll get it up ASAP!!

Chapter Three – The First Meeting

The next day, Harry was jolted awake by a loud whistle. He sat straight up and rubbed his eyes confusedly. When he opened them again, he was shocked to see Hermione standing over him, dressed not in robes, but in sweatpants and a sweatshirt. She also had a whistle hanging around her neck, which had woken Harry.

"Hermione!!" He gasped, pulling his covers up to his chin. He looked around at the other boys, all snoring loudly in their beds. "What are you doing up here?" he hissed at the girl. "This is the BOY'S dorm, and I'm only wearing boxers!!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh, honestly, Harry, that's not a big deal. At least you're WEARING boxers." Harry blushed, but Hermione continued on. "Well, anyway, you need to get up, the house-elves are meeting us on the Quidditch pitch in a half hour."

Harry stared stupidly for a minute. He reached for his watch on the night table, but then remembered that it had broken during the second task last year. He looked to Hermione, still under the covers. "What time is it?"

"6:30."

Harry's eyes widened, and he pulled the covers over his head. "No way in Azkaban am I getting up at 6:30. You run the meeting yourself."

Hermione's eyes rolled again. "Harry Potter, you promised me you would help."

"That didn't mean I was willing to get up this early," Harry's muffled voice said from under the covers. "Besides, don't you have a meeting with the mysterious sponsor?"

"That's not until 11. Now get up!" With that, she threw the covers off Harry, who let out a loud yelp, rolled off the bed, and hid underneath it. Hermione looked flabbergasted. "Harry, what on earth are you doing?!?"

"I TOLD you," Harry said, poking his head out. "I'm only wearing boxers!!"

"Well, you didn't have to yelp like that, you're going to wake up everyone in here!"

"ME wake everyone up??" Harry exlaimed. "I'M not the one who came bursting into the wrong dorm blowing a whistle at the crack of dawn!"

"Harry, that whistle is charmed so it can only be heard by whoever I want it to be," Hermione said impatiently, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Watch." She took out her wand and tapped the whistle, muttering "Ronald Weasley," and blew long and hard.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Ron yelled, sitting up abruptly. "What the…" he looked around dazedly and saw Hermione. He yelped something that came out as a squeak, and dove back under the covers.

"Oh, honestly, if you boys are that embarrassed about your bodies I'll leave. But if I don't see the two of you on the Quidditch pitch in 20 minutes…" her voice trailed off, leaving Harry and Ron to use their imagination on that one. She walked out of the room.

Ron's red ears slowly emerged from under the sheets. "Harry?"

Harry came out from under the bed. "Yeah?"

"Why was Hermione in the boys' dorm?"

Harry sighed. "I don't know, but she's in one of her moods. I say we get dressed."

Ron agreed, and the two of them pulled on their robes.

When they arrived in the Great Hall to grab some breakfast, Hermione was already gone. So the two boys grabbed a muffin each and headed outside. Hermione was on the pitch, waiting for them.

"Oh, good, you're here," she said, ignoring the sleepiness in their eyes. "All right, we only have an hour to get everything set up, so we need to get started."

Ron looked shocked. "An hour? Harry said the elves were going to be here in 10 minutes!"

Hermione smirked. "Well, I had to get you up, didn't I?" She grinned wickedly. "Of course, if I threatened to take pictures of both of you in your boxers I probably would've accomplished the same thing." The boys looked at each other with wide eyes. "Now follow me and I'll show you the schedule I wrote up."

As she walked away, Hary and Ron stayed back. "Hey, Harry," Ron said nervously.   
"You don't think she actually saw anything do you?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know, but I hope not. I wear Dudley's old boxers at night, and sometimes they slip!"

"All right," Hermione said in an authoritative tone as the boys walked over. "I need you guys to split up. Harry, this is the key to Madame Hooch's storage room." She handed him a small silver key. "I need you to get 28 Cleansweeps. They're a bit big and awkward for elves, but they'll have to do until Creature Sweepers send us our order. Oh, and you'll want to get your Firebolt and a broom for Ron."

"Herm, I thought you said this was just a meeting!"

"Well, it is, but we need to start giving out positions," she said. Harry walked off muttering to himself about how she always managed to make him feel so stupid.

"Now, Ron, I need you to go Gryffindor Tower and get Fred, George, and Angelina."

"Angelina!!" Ron yelled, horrified. "I can't go in the girl's dorm, they'd kill me!"

Hermione sighed. "All right, we can do without her for today. Just get your brothers, tell them I have pictures of them drooling in their sleep."

Ron looked at her, wondering if she was telling the truth. "Why didn't you just wake them up this morning?"

She shrugged. "Well, I needed something for you to do."

Ron scowled. "Well, what are you doing?"

Hermione grinned. "I am getting the elves."

A half hour later, Harry, Ron, and two angry looking Weasley twins were pacing the Quidditch pitch.

"I'm getting worried about this Hermione, guys," Fred said.

"Yeah," George agreed. "What kind of perv is she, sneaking into boys rooms while they're sleeping?"

Ron snorted. "Thank Godric Neville's not helping out." The three others looked at him quizzically. "He sleeps in the nude." All the boys grimaced.

Harry started laughing. "But how do you-"

"It was an accident, long story, don't ask," Ron said grimly.

Just then, Hermione appeared, followed by 28 very enthusiastic looking house-elves.

Fred and George ran up to her. "Now, Hermione, we-"

"Oh, relax, I have no pictures. Anyway." She faced the house-elves, and smiled proudly. "Welcome, all of you, to the very first meeting of the House Elf Quidditch League! You are lucky enough to be the very first members of this historic institution! If this mission is a success, soon there will be a worlwide HEQL, offering enjoyment, recreation, and a feeling of belonging to house-elves everywhere!" Harry gulped. The look on Hermione's face made him not want to be around in the event that HEQL was NOT a success. "So, now, let me introduce to you your coaches, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter!" 

The elves cheered. Ron grinned, Harry waved stupidly, and Fred and George hammed it up by doing the Princess Diana wave.

Hermione walked up to the boys. "Well, this is the part where I know nothing," she admitted. "So you guys decide how to run tryouts for positions, and organize them into teams. Try doing a bit of practicing if there's time. I'm going inside to finish some paperwork. Oh, and Ron? You're the recording secretary. After the meeting, write me a full, detailed report, including accurate lists of the four teams complete with positions. Oh, and team names, too. We need accurate records if we're going to spread this throughtout England." She grinned. "Have fun!" And with that, she walked into the building, leaving the four boys gaping after her. Ron in particular looked very annoyed.

After a few minutes of silence, Ron looked over at the elves who were looking at them excitedly. "Well…what should we do? Harry?"

Harry cleared his throught. "Well, I guess I'll explain to them how we're going to run this, and then we can each try the mout for different positions." He walked over to the little houseelves. "All right, today we're going to be giving all of you positions, and you're going to have a team. Now, there are four positions available. First, the three Chasers. They fly around passing the Quaffle to each other and trying to score. The need to be able to handle the ball well. Next, there's the Beaters. The each hold a club and hit the Bludgers at members of the opposite team. The Keeper is the goalkeeper who tries to keep the Chasers from scoring. And lastly, the Seeker hunts for the Snitch. Any questions?" He paused, and didn't see any tiny hands raised. "All right then. If you know that you are good at a specific position and want to play as it, step to the right." To his surprise, 20 of the elves stepped over. "Okay, how many of you want to be Keepers?" Four hands were raised. "Okay, perfect. What about Seekers?" Again, four hands were raised, including a grinning Dobby. "Chasers?" Six hands went up. "Beaters?" Another six. "Okay, I'll split you guys into teams." "Hey, Fred and George? Can you take those eight and figure out which two are better as Beaters than Chasers? And Ron, you help me divide these guys into teams."

In the end, Dobby was the captain of his team, Clunky was the captain of hers, and the other two were named Scabby and Dubbly. Now the only thing left to do was pick names. Scabby was not a very unique elf and called her team the Socks. Dubbly had a sense of humor and called his team the Skrewts. Apparently the story of Hagrid's "pets" had gone through the kitchens. Clunky thought for awhile, and, after some discussion among her teams members, decided to be called the Teacozies, prompting much laughter from Harry and Ron.

Finally, Dobby went up to Harry. "Harry Potter, sir?"

"Yea, Dobby?"

"Dobby's team, we is wodering….well, we's very much wanting to be called the Potters."

Harry groaned to himself, thinking of how Malfoy would react if he found out there was a Quidditch team named after him. He could hear the Wealseys snickering already. "Well, Dobby, I'm not so great-"

Dobby's eyes widened. "Oh, Harry Potter must not say that, sir! Harry Potter is a great wizard, he is! We is being very honored to have such a great name! Then we is sure to win!"

Harry sighed. Dobby's eyes were so wide, he couldn't bear to say no. "Well, sure."

Dobby smiled happily. "Oh, Harry Potter is being even greater than Dobby is saying! Harry Potter is-"

"Thank you, Dobby," Harry cut him off. "You guys can all go back to work, I'm sure Hermione will tell you when the first real practice is."

The elves all smiled and waved.

Ron smirked. "You're lucky Lockhart isn't here, Harry. I can just imagine his reaction: 'Well, Harry, I've heard you've got a team named after yourself-"

Harry punched him playfully. "Well, Fred, Geroge, we better go and leave Ron to write up his report for Hermione." And with that, they walked back to the castle, Harry trying to imagine what these game would be like.


	4. The Sponsor

Author's Note: Once again, I do not own any of the people, places, ideas, etc

Author's Note: Once again, I do not own any of the people, places, ideas, etc. mentioned in the Harry Potter books, but anything you don't recognize is mine, all mine!!! (evil laugh) And please, when you finish reading, tell me what you like or don't like, or if you're short on time, just write "cool" or something in that little box at the bottom of the screen. This is mostly just a filler chapter, chapter five is where the practices begin, and Doodly the cela-trams shows up…I'll get that up as soon as I can. Enjoy!

Chapter Four – The Sponsor

The next day, Hermione was courteous enough to let Harry and Ron sleep until nine. She, on the other hand, got up bright and early at 7:00 and waited for her friends in the common room. She passed the time by pouring over Ron's hastily written records and making up a practice schedule. When the boys came downstairs, she jumped up and hurried right over to them.

"Ronald Weasley," she scolded, her hands on her hips. "What kind of records are these?" She shook the paper at him. "I can just barely read it! I'm telling you, if we're going to spread this, we need meticulous records, and as recording secretary, you-"

"Hermione, you MADE me recording secretary!" Ron interrupted. "Remember? Otherwise I never would have been, I hate writing and my handwriting is terrible! So don't yell at me."

Hermione's mouth opened and closed several times before she broke out into a smile. "Yes, you're absolutely right. I'm sorry, Ron, I should have _asked_ if you wanted to be recording secretary. And since these records aren't exactly what I had in mind, I guess I'll have to be the recording secretary."

"So, Herm, what time is practice today?" Harry asked quickly, before Ron could argue some more.

"Well, I decided that we're not going to have a practice today."

Harry and Ron looked at each other in surprise. "Why not?" Ron asked suspiciously.

Hermione smiled again. "Because in about an hour, the three of us are going to meet with our sponsor."

Forty-five minutes later, the three friends were waiting by the Entrance Hall.

"How's this guy getting here, anyway?" Harry wondered.

"He's Apparating to the village, where Hagrid's meeting him to take him here," Hermione answered.

"So even Hagrid knows who he is, and you won't tell us?" Ron said angrily.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Hagrid's a special case; if he didn't know, how would he figure out which person he was supposed to pick up? Besides him and Dumbledore, though, no one else knows."

Ron seemed satisfied with this answer, and for the next ten minutes the three friends talked about the upcoming trip to Hogsmeade.

Finally, at 3 minutes past, Harry spotted a tall figure walking towards them.

"Hey, guys!" he yelled. "I think the mysterious sponsor is here!"

The three students walked in the direction of the figure, and when they reached him, he put down his hood. Hermione smiled, Harry's eyes widened, and Ron gaped.

"Krum??????" Ron mouthed to Harry.

"Hermy-own-ninny!" exclaimed Krum. "How haff you been?"

To the boys' surprise, Hermione walked over and gave Krum a quick kiss. "I've been just great, Viktor. How are you?"

Krum smiled, and Harry noticed Ron's ears getting redder every second. "I haff been good, but I haff been missing you ever since you left after your visit."

At this, Ron looked up, and Hermione looked embarrassed. Ron looked like he was going to strangle Krum, so Harry politely asked Krum to excuse the three of them for a moment.

Hermione smiled nervously. "So, what do you guys think? Of course, Krum's not the sponsor himself, he's just here representing the entire Bulgarian Quidditch Team! I think it will be wonderful to have a real, proffesional team as our sponsor. In Muggle Little League, the sponsors are always small businesses…"

Harry noticed that Hermione was babbling, and when he looked over at Ron's face he saw why. He was furious.

"So, Hermione," Ron said slowly. "You went to visit Krum over the summer?"

"Yes, Ron, I did. I don't understand what you're so upset about, he's-"

"When were you planning on telling us that Viktor Krum is your boyfriend? I mean, honestly, Hermione, he goes to Durmstrang!"

Hermione stared for a second, and then started laughing. Harry felt a little nervous; Ron looked quite upset, and laughing was only going to make him worse.

"All right, Ron," Hermione began. "One, Viktor does not go to Durmstrang anymore, he graduated last year. And two, he is NOT my boyfriend!"

Ron looked visibly happier. "Oh…Then, why'd you kiss him?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. Harry thought she was doing that quite a lot lately. "Ron, don't be so immature. That was a friendly peck! And I only visited Viktor and his family for two days, and my parents were there. We just became good friends who happen to miss each other. Now please, let's go back and talk to our sponsor." 

With that, she turned on her heels and walked over to Krum. Ron's face was now looking quite red for a different reason, and as the two boys followed their friend Harry could see him muttering to himself.

"Hello, Harry. Hello, Ron," Krum greeted them. Harry smiled, and Ron sort of grunted.

"Harry," Hermione asked. "We need to pick what model of broom we should get for the teams. They'll be modified, of course, but the performance will be the same as the regular models."

Harry thought for a moment. "Well, they practiced fine on the Shooting Stars, but-"

"No Quidditch team should play on Shooting Stars," Krum broke in. "Even one made of house-elves. I cannot give you enough money for Firebolts, but I vould highly recommend one of the Nimbus models."

Harry nodded. "We don't really need to stretch as far as getting the Nimbus 2001, but what about the Nimbus 2000?"

Krum nodded. "Yes, that vould be good. Now, I must explain – my team's owner vos only villing to sponsor your teams if somehow the Bulgarian Quidditch team vos mentioned somevere…"

Hermione thought for a moment. "Well, we can have whatever we want written on the side of the brooms. What if on one side we write the player's name, and on the other we write "Sponsored by the Bulgarian Quidditch Team?"

Krum smiled. "That vould be good. But I'm afraid I am not allowed to donate any money for uniforms. The owner is of the opinion that this league vill go novere I am sorry, Hermy-own-ninny."

Hermione thought for a second, and then lit up, obviously coming up with an idea. "That will be fine, we don't need uniforms right now. However, if this becomes a big thing…" She went up on her tiptoes and whispered in Krum's ear.

He smiled and nodded. "I vill try, Hermy-own-ninny. That vould be much fun. Just let me know ven this league becomes popular. I vill vork on the owner and get him to agree. But now, I think I should be leaving. Say hello to Dumbledore for me."

"Oh, wait," Hermione called. "I need you to sign these forms from Creature Sweepers."

Krum did so, and then everyone waved good-bye.

"So, Hermione, what was that all about?" Ron asked.

She smiled mischievously and shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't tell you that, boys. That is a surprise."

Ron frowned. "Another surprise? Krum was enough of a surprise as it is…"

Hermione pretended to zip her lips. "I'm not telling. Now, I have to go fill out the rest of these annoying forms. Would you two mind going to the kitchens and telling all the players that our very first practice will be at noon tomorrow?"

Ron nodded. "So long, Herm."

When the boys arrived in the kitchens, Dobby immediately came running over. "Harry Potter, sir! There is a problem with one of the captains!"

Harry frowned. "What do you mean, Dobby?"

"Come, Dobby will show you." Harry took the little elf's hand and followed him to a small area in the very back of the kitchen. Harry's eyes widened when he saw the sight.

There, sitting all alone on the floor, was a tiny house-elf, whose skin was purple and whose large eyes were very red. She was sweating profusely, but her lips were blue and she was shivering. A wet washcloth was placed over her head, but it didn't seem to be helping.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Ron.

Dobby shook his head sadly. "Scabby has selsaem, Harry Potter. Dobby already told Mr. Dumbledore, and Madame Pomfrey is saying that Scabby is needing to be sent away to a very special hospital for house-elves."

Harry frowned. "Why couldn't Madame Pomfrey just fix her here?" He couldn't remember ever hearing of a medical problem Madame Pomfrey couldn't solve.

Dobby's eyes widened. "Selsaem is a very bad disease. Madame Pomfrey is not knowing how to make Scabby better." Dobby sobbed. "Scabby could-" he paused, looking at his friend. "Scabby could die!" he whispered.

Harry patted Dobby on the head. "Don't worry, Dobby, I'm sure she'll be okay."

At that moment, Dumbledore came into the kitchen. He nodded to Ron and Harry. "I'm sorry boys, but I can't talk to you right now. I'm transporting this elf-" he motioned towards Scabby- "to a hospital in France. I'll see you tomorrow if you wish."

Harry nodded, and watched as Dumbledore took the shivering Scabby in his arms and left, a very sad Dobby following behind them.

"Wow, I hope she gets better," Harry said, still in a bit of a shock. 

"Yeah…" Ron agreed. Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Harry, Hermione's going to have a fit! I mean, she'll be really sad and everything, but Scabby was the Captain and Seeker of her team! We're down by one player…what are we gonna do?"

"Harry Potter and Harry Potter's friend Ron?"

The boys jumped at the small voice which came out of the shadows. They turned around, and saw Clunky.

"Yeah, Clunky?" Harry acknowledged her.

Clunky curtseyed. "Maybe Clunky can help. Remember how Clunky said Doodly would be coming to visit Hogwarts?"

Ron stared blankly. "I don't remember anything about a Doodly."

"Doodly is Clunky's cousin," Doodly explained. 

"Oh, yeah, I remember you saying something about that," Harry remembered.

"Doodly…" Clunky's voice trailed off, and she looked as though she was searching for the right words. "Doodly would very much like being captain. Doodly is…very good at many things. Doodly plays Quidditch, and Doodly plays any position. If Doodly was to be in the kitchens, Doodly would not be liked very much, so Doodly can help play Quidditch!"

Harry frowned a little. Why wasn't Doodly liked?

Ron, however, smiled broadly. "That's great, Clunky! You know," he paused, thoughtfully. "You speak a lot better than Dobby and some of the other house-elves do. Did you go to school or something like that?"

Clunky shook her head violently. "No! Clunky never gone to school! Clunky is a _good_ house-elf. Clunky works, Clunky never ever gone to school! Only cela-trams go to school!"

"All right, Clunky, calm down!" Ron exclaimed. "I was only asking….And yes, we'd love to have Doodly play."

Clunky smiled. "Good. Then Clunky must leave now." And with a curtsey, she vanished from sight.

Harry looked at Ron, who shrugged. "How'd I know she'd get so offended? Come on, we better go update Hermione."

Harry nodded, and they left the kitchen. Harry hoped Scabby would recover from her case of selsaem as soon as possible. This Doodly person didn't seem to be too likable, from what Clunky had said. 

"Hey, Harry?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, Ron?"

"What's a cela-trams?"

"I have no idea. But somehow I get the feeling we're going to find out."


End file.
